NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Donald Jones, WR

Donald Jones, WR, Youngstown State (6-1, 210)

Sometimes throwing up is a good thing.

Donald Jones found that out on his first day of training for his professional career with Mike Gough of Athletic Edge – the same trainer that helped Sebastian Vollmer last year. Jones related “I’ve never really been trained before. No disrespect to Youngstown State, but we really just lifted weights. There wasn’t any speed training.”

According to Jones, Gough has put him through conditioning and speed drills, while also working up his skills for positional drills at the combine. When asked whether that can translate to the field, Jones was adamant that it would, he felt that we was already getting used to being faster.

That’s bad news for teams that sleep on Jones during the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft. The only knock on the two-time All-Conference YSU Penguin has been his lack of top-end speed. Scouts have praised his elusiveness, his hands, and his crisp, although simple, routes. He impressively caught 77 balls for 790 yards and six touchdowns, in a run-first offense.

When pressed whether he has run more complicated routes and schemes in the past, Jones stated that he, “ran sight-adjustments all the time at Juco (Lackawanna CC). My QB and I were always on the same page. At YSU, we ran sight-adjustments some games, and didn’t others. We were mainly in the spread offense, no huddle.”

Hailing from the Northeast, Jones is somewhat of a Ravens fan. “Yeah, I probably could have you guys out last week.” That’s the kind of confidence I like. When asked what the difference was between the FCS college game and the NFL, Jones adeptly answered that, “The speed of the game is so much faster, and the guys are smarter. They watch a lot more film.”

Donald noted his work-ethic, “I’m the first one in, last one out”, and leadership (two-time Captain at YSU) as the traits that would make him the best pick for the Patriots.

Like we said earlier, teams had better take notice of this on the rise small-school prospect. Otherwise, they might be the ones feeling nauseous later.